Chapter 199: Raising a Little Zombie 17

The word “zombie” sent Yunyun into a panic, and he instinctively hid behind his father.

When Xie Hui heard this, his expression remained calm. He even reached out to gently pat Yunyun’s shoulder to reassure him.

“Do you have any evidence for what you’re saying?”

“I saw it during a mission! His blood is green! How many normal people have green blood? Stop trying to deny it.”

Yao Yu’s tone was aggressive, and her gaze toward Yunyun was particularly fervent.

Before the apocalypse, she worked as an assistant in a research lab. After the apocalypse, her awakened abilities were of little use, and she constantly worried about being seen as an outcast and killed. Now, she finally found something she could do. If she could develop a zombie vaccine… The thought made Yao Yu’s breathing grow heated.

After Yao Yu finished speaking, Xie Hui turned to look at Yunyun. The little boy, who had been so eager to help others, now hung his head in obvious disappointment. Xie Hui, standing close, could clearly see the redness in his eyes.

“Why should I believe what you say just because you claim it?”

Xie Hui’s demeanor remained as relaxed as before, even crossing his legs leisurely. This attitude made those who initially sided with Yao Yu begin to waver. If the child really were a zombie, would Xie Hui be this calm? Wouldn’t he be afraid of being around a zombie all the time?

“You can just cut his arm with a knife to see for yourself.”

Huo Li, standing beside Yao Yu, said this and tossed a fruit knife over. He had already prepared for Xie Hui to deny it.

“Why should my son cut his arm for no reason? How about you cut yours instead?”

After speaking, Xie Hui kicked the knife back to land right in front of Huo Li.

Yao Yu glanced at the fruit knife on the ground, then at Xie Hui, picked it up, and with gritted teeth, cut her own arm.

“Now can you do it?”

Xie Hui smirked sarcastically, his lips curling slightly as he spoke:

“You cut yourself just because I told you to? What a fool. You don’t value yourself, but my son isn’t like you.”

Huo Li’s face was full of anger as he reached out to cover Yao Yu’s arm.

“You!”

At this moment, the Captain looked at Yunyun. Given Huo Li and Yao Yu’s history of slander, he was unwilling to believe anything they said. Besides, Yunyun seemed like such a well-behaved child, calling him “uncle” and saying “thank you.” How many zombies had such lively eyes?

“Huo Li, enough already! You’re just causing trouble without evidence. For the next month, your mission contribution points are halved!”

After saying this, the Captain walked over, ruffled Yunyun’s hair in front of everyone, and picked him up. He used this gesture to demonstrate that Yunyun was just an ordinary child.

“Don’t worry, Yunyun. Uncle believes in you.”

Among those who came over, many were members of the Guardian Team. Xiao Li was the first to step out from the crowd, taking Yunyun’s hand in his own.

“How could there be such a cute zombie, right? Ping An wanted to come play with you, but I didn’t let it since its training isn’t over yet.”

Only then did Xie Hui sit up straight and speak:

“Yunyun is indeed a zombie.”

This statement made the previously noisy living room fall silent, even causing the Captain to pause.

“What did you say?”

“I said, Yunyun is indeed a zombie.”

Xie Hui repeated himself, fearing they hadn’t heard clearly.

The Captain had been right about one thing: Xie Hui’s current ability level allowed him to do as he pleased in the apocalypse. Even if the entire Guardian Team stood in his way, they couldn’t stop him from leaving. The worst outcome would be continuing to wander with Yunyun.

“See, I told you he was a zombie!”

Yao Yu’s face lit up with joy upon Xie Hui’s admission, her heart pounding with excitement.

“Captain, quickly send him over. A zombie that can retain memories is such a valuable test subject!”

The situation began to follow the original plot. Hearing they wanted to experiment on him, Yunyun broke free from the Captain’s embrace and ran back to his father.

Initially, Yunyun himself wanted the base to experiment on him, but after his father explained things to him, he couldn’t help but worry. He was willing to be experimented on, but watching himself undergo such things was terrifying, even for a little zombie.

“Mr. Xie, I can overlook past grievances if you’re willing to hand over your son now.”

“Before the apocalypse, I worked in the capital’s laboratory. If needed, I can show you my credentials!”

“Trust me, I sense that he’s the key to developing a zombie vaccine.”

There was indeed a lab in the Survivor Base researching a zombie vaccine. Most people didn’t know, but many Guardian Team members had been tasked with finding experimental equipment.

Initially, Yunyun was willing, but the woman’s gaze frightened him, making him cling tightly to his father’s arm, his voice trembling.

“Dad…”

“Who gave you the confidence to think I’d hand over my son to be your test subject?”

After speaking, Xie Hui gently patted Yunyun’s shoulder to comfort him. He would never let this child die in a lab like in the original story.

“Yes, you worked in the capital’s lab, but you were just an assistant and hadn’t even graduated. How do you think you’re capable of conducting such experiments on your own?”

Yao Yu’s words had indeed been misleading. The capital’s lab sounded prestigious, but now that Xie Hui had exposed her, her face flushed with embarrassment.

“Mr. Xie, I know you may not want to part with your child, but think about the future of humanity. Don’t you want to see the world return to how it was before the apocalypse?”

Using such a grand narrative could easily sway the onlookers. The longer one struggled in the apocalypse, the more they longed for the peace and stability of the pre-apocalypse world.

Some people knew that this situation was difficult for Xie Hui, but a harsh reality lay before them:

The one being sacrificed was Xie Hui’s child, which had little to do with them.

So, while they might feel a twinge of discomfort in their hearts, they ultimately hoped Xie Hui would agree.

“I want to see a world restored to its pre-Apocalypse state without sacrificing my child.”

Huo Li, having listened to their nonsense up to this point, was growing impatient. He raised his hand, signaling his two subordinates to approach.

“Xie Hui, you’re truly selfish. A Fourth-rank Ability User who doesn’t understand sacrifice and dedication. Yao Yu, why waste your breath on someone like him? Just capture them directly, wouldn’t that be easier?”

This time, Xie Hui didn’t even need to lift a finger. Fu Gui’er, having just eaten, conjured vines out of thin air and tossed the two men out the door.

When Yunyun looked over with reddened eyes, Fu Gui’er waved its leaves as if greeting him.

“Who gave you the courage to think you could keep me here?”

“Let’s go, Yunyun.”

After saying this, Xie Hui stood up. Fu Gui’er used its leaves to support itself and hopped into Yunyun’s pocket.

No one in the room dared to stop them.

Firstly, because of Xie Hui’s status as an Ability User, rumored to be Fourth-rank, while they were mostly at the first rank, giving them no chance of winning against him.

Secondly, because Yunyun was a Zombie, one who appeared indistinguishable from a normal person, something they had never encountered before.

Just as Huo Li moved to stop them, Xie Hui raised his hand and an Ice Cone pinned Huo Li’s foot, causing him to fall to the ground in pain.

“I don’t want to resort to violence. Be sensible and let us go.”

Aside from the main characters, Xie Hui had a good impression of the others. Most members of the Guardian Team were enthusiastic and nice people.

Leaving the base, when thought through, wasn’t entirely a bad thing.

Inside the base, no matter how much Xie Hui wanted to act, he had to abide by its rules.

Once outside, he would be a free man, making it easier to do what he wanted.

As Yunyun left, he tried to hold back his tears but couldn’t. After sniffing, he quickly caught up with his father.

Just as they were about to leave, they encountered the elderly lady cleaning up, the same one who had been next to them during their quarantine when they first arrived at the base.

The elderly lady was as warm and chatty as ever, greeting them.

“Little one, where are you going?”

This question successfully brought out the tears Yunyun had been trying to hold back. He gently wiped them with the back of his hand.

“Grandma, I’m leaving here with my dad. Grandma, you stay safe and healthy, goodbye.”

After speaking, Yunyun ran quickly to catch up with his father, holding his hand and forcing a smile to reassure him.

He really liked many things about the base, but if they couldn’t accept him, he had no choice but to leave with his father.

He knew his father thought he was important and didn’t want to make him sad.

Just as they were about to exit the base, a voice called out from behind them.

“Wait, Xie Hui, wait.”